Kissing Peat and Gnawing on Leather

Some people are really weird. They collect perfume. Some people are even weirder. They collect scotch whisky. Yesterday one strange person (me) joined another stranger and went on my very first (and very little) Scotch tasting expedition (or more accurately described - got acquainted with a friend's whisky collection). I have found it quite amusing to say the least; and surprisingly similar to perfume in more ways than I can begin to tell.I tried two and having very little alcohol tolerance if at all it is probably an exaggeration to even use the word "tried". To be more accurate, I can say that I've just kissed them both to get the taste of them. The first, a 10 year old Talisker single malt Scotch from the Island of Skye in Scotland has left such an impression with me that I had to tell SmellyBlog all about it when I got home...

It was like drinking my perfume Espionage. Of all the fragrance families, leather is the one I least expected to find in a spirit... Last year, a Basenote member by the name of Vibert compared my perfume Espionage to a single malt Scotch. He couldn't have been more right. As far as Talisker 10 year old single malt goes - this is as close as it can get to gnawing on leather soaked with tanning fluids and staying alive.

As for the second one, the name of which I can't remember - it was 18 years old, ripe and smooth and the most unusual thing about it was that shortly after I've only slightly "kissed" it to get a little taste in it would grow in my mouth into a big round ghost that was warm and expanding like a little devil.

That's all for me and scotch for now.

P.s. Presumably, it is the high content of phenols that creates that leathery effect in Talisker's 10 year old single malt. They use a higher amount of peat and the water accentuates that effect.